Fantasy - 9/19/2004

[tjljsc]

My mom and I will be taking the Fantasy to the Bahamas (4 nights) in September. How does the ship compare to the Enchantment of the Seas from Royal Carribbean? We loved that ship and had a fabulous first time cruiser experience. Since we've never been on Carnival, I had a few questions:

 

1. Drink specials - Do they do them every day? What's the average price? We're planning to bring our own wine on board for general consumption, but usually do the fruity libations a few times and want to budget for it.

 

2. Spa - Do they do daily spa specials? On Enchantment, they had a daily special listed in an activities card/newsletter that was delivered each night. The deals were incredible and we'd rather do that vs scheduling prime prices.

 

3. Activities schedule - Do they deliver something the night before with a list of everything going on? Is it easy to carry with you? That was our favorite part of last years cruise. We highlighted what we were interested in attending and tossed it in our back pocket.

 

4. Atlantis - I'm confused. I've read 846473928 million posts here about Atlantis and it seems that the Carnival excursion for $45 each doesn't include the dig, pools or beach. Is this right? Is there some kind of tour/access pass we can purchase directly from Atlantis and take the $3-4 ferry over? I guess I'm wondering what my total cost will be if I want to go to Atlantis and see the dig, casino and main areas.

 

5. Dolphins - I've yet to find a dolphin swim for less than $169. Is this a good deal? Is it worth it?

 

6. Freeport - Mom's been there before, so we're not interested in spending a lot of time in town. What's the best excursion here? I don't care to do Stingrays (we did that in Grand Cayman and I can't imagine anywhere better for that) and snorkling could be fun if not uber expensive through Carnival.

 

Okay, this was longer than I'd planned, but I hope someone can help! Thanks!

[makayjean]

Hello, I was on the Fantasy in May and since it was my very first cruise, unfortunately I cant do a comparision for you, but I can say that although it is an older ship, it is very clean and well maintained.

 

The drinks of the day that I purchased was from the bar on the Lido deck which offers the drink in a souvenir glass for 6.95 and refills are 4.95

 

The capers are delivered every night to your cabin and all the following days activities are listed.

 

Atlantis....my dd and sil took the Carnival tour for $45 each..I, chose to explore Atlantis on my own with some friends....we paid $4.00 taxi fare pp each way ....we decided that we didnt care to tour the digs, but for those who are interested in touring it, the price was 29.00....according to my dd, I saw the same fish that she did, for free!!! To gain access to the beach at Atlantis, you must be a registered guest of Atlantis, but if you walk down a little ways, right beside the Grand Sheraton(i believe that's the correct name) there is a walkway that will lead you to the beach.

 

Freeport....we took the bus tour there, it lasted about 3 1/2 hours and was 32.00 i believe with some shopping time included.

 

Sorry I dont have any info on the spas, the dolphin swim or snorkeling, but I hope this little bit of info is helpful to you

[Cruising89143]

It is hard to compare the two ships to each other. The Enchantment is much newer and larger than the Fantasy. She will have more of the bells and whistles. The Fantasy did receive a twenty-five million dollar facelift last year and she looked great when I cruised on her in November of last year.

 

Most of the other questions were answered in the last post. I would suggest that if you are looking for a beach then you look at Blue Lagoon which is offered by Carnival as an excursion in Nassau. You can catch a taxi to Atlantis on your own and walk around some of the areas at no charge.

 

I have some photos in my link below of the Fantasy that I took last year.

[FurryCruiser]

1. Drink specials - Do they do them every day? What's the average price? We're planning to bring our own wine on board for general consumption, but usually do the fruity libations a few times and want to budget for it.

There is a different drink special each day. When I was on the Fantasy 4 day cruise a couple of weeks ago, it was the Bahama Mama, The Goombay Smash, the Yellow Bird, and one other. As another poster wrote, I believe it was $6.95 with refills in the glass at $4.95 (I think I have full service for 8 of Carnival glasses)

2. Spa - Do they do daily spa specials? On Enchantment, they had a daily special listed in an activities card/newsletter that was delivered each night. The deals were incredible and we'd rather do that vs scheduling prime prices.

Yes, they do daily Spa specials, and they will either be listed in the Carnival Capers you will receive each night or an insert in the capers; in addition, we were generally handed the in-port Spa Specials when we came back onboard after excursions in Freeport and Nassau (incidently, the excursion tickets we got, through Carnival, in both ports also included 25% in the Spa while the ship was in port).

3. Activities schedule - Do they deliver something the night before with a list of everything going on? Is it easy to carry with you? That was our favorite part of last years cruise. We highlighted what we were interested in attending and tossed it in our back pocket.

You will receive the Carnival Capers newsletter in your cabin each night. It's about 8 1/2" x 11" and folds up well (it's multiple pages long).

 

I can't help on Atlantis.

 

5. Dolphins - I've yet to find a dolphin swim for less than $169. Is this a good deal? Is it worth it?

We did the Dolphin Encounter in Freeport, rather than the dolphin swim, for $95 through Carnival. We felt it was worth it and had a fabulous time. Cacique, the dolphin we were in the pool with (everyone gets into the water to pet/stratch/gets photos taken with the dolphin at some point) was a remarkable creature.

6. Freeport - Mom's been there before, so we're not interested in spending a lot of time in town. What's the best excursion here? I don't care to do Stingrays (we did that in Grand Cayman and I can't imagine anywhere better for that) and snorkling could be fun if not uber expensive through Carnival.

As I said, we did our dolphin stuff in Freeport (actually, took a bus over to Port Lucaya). For swimming and such, we enjoyed our time at the Blue Lagoon when were in port at Nassau. That is something that will be a repeat when I go back there.

 

And the Fantasy, while an older vessel, was beautiful. I liked the color scheme more than on other Carnival ships of its class. Nice ancient world theme, clean and crisp coloring (I like the white base with grey and mediterranean blue accents on the levels in the atrium).

 

Furry

[tjljsc]

Thank you all so much for the info. I've printed it all off and stashed it in my Cruise file. :)

[kathy7558]

I was on the Fantasy in 2000 - my first cruise, and on the Enchantment in 2002 - my third cruise. The biggest differences I noted were in the atmosphere. I'd say the Enchantment is much more elegant than the Fantasy. You'll find more neon and loud colors on the Fantasy than you experienced on the Enchantment. Also, many more loud parties and more fun activities on the Fantasy - so if you like to party 24/7, the Fantasy is great.

 

Another difference is the food - Carnival offers a bigger and more exotic selection in the dining room than does Royal Caribbean. the waiters were more fun on Carnival, but overall service - at least IMHO - was better on the Enchantment.

 

I personally loved both cruises - have sailed Carnival twoice and Royal Caribbean twice and would sail either one again!

 

Have a great time on your cruise.

[shamelnn]

I Just Got Back From The Fantasy On Yesterday And From What I Understand The Dolphin Excursion Was A Waste Of Money. You Are With The Dolphins For Only 30 Minutes And The Only Thing They Do Is Kiss You On The Cheek. My Tablemates Went Snorkling And They Were Upset. They Said The Water Was Very Rough So They Could Not Snorkle. They Were Unable To Get There Money Back.

[tjljsc]

Thanks! For the price, I'm fully expecting a floating walmart, but it's good to know it's not THAT bad.

[tjljsc]

Was the ship in good shape? As long as I have a clean room/bathroom and the food is decent, we'll be happy. The trip is more about having a chance to hang out with my mom and catch up than the actual cruise.

[sgtmonz]

tjljsc- dude, just take a look at my review of the fantasy... it was only a couple of months ago that i went... in it i talk about the cabins, food, staff, passengers and other stuff... also, there is a photo link... just click below... :)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=53243

[tjljsc]

Thanks. Being able to see some recent pictures definitely helps.

[sgtmonz]

hey, no problem... helpful is my middle name

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/sgtmonz